Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean: Military expenditure was 73.38 billion current USD in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
73.38 billion current USD
Change on year
up 10.6%
Rank
24th
of 42 groups
All-time high
78.46 billion current USD
in 2013
All-time low
952.12 million current USD
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, 1960–2024

020.0B40.0B60.0B80.0B196019922024

Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in current USD.

Analysis

Latin America & Caribbean recorded 73.38 billion current USD for military expenditure in 2024.

That represents a change of up 10.6% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 78.46 billion current USD in 2013 and was at its lowest, 952.12 million current USD, in 1961.

Latin America & Caribbean ranks 24th of 42 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure (current USD) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1960 to 2024.
Year current USD Change
1960 1.04 billion current USD
1961 952.12 million current USD -8.5%
1962 1.47 billion current USD +54.4%
1963 1.56 billion current USD +6.0%
1964 1.48 billion current USD -5.1%
1965 1.82 billion current USD +23.4%
1966 1.98 billion current USD +8.3%
1967 2.12 billion current USD +7.2%
1968 2.08 billion current USD -1.7%
1969 2.29 billion current USD +10.1%
1970 2.86 billion current USD +24.6%
1971 3.46 billion current USD +21.2%
1972 4.05 billion current USD +16.9%
1973 5.40 billion current USD +33.5%
1974 6.66 billion current USD +23.3%
1975 6.15 billion current USD -7.7%
1976 8.00 billion current USD +30.0%
1977 8.80 billion current USD +10.1%
1978 10.05 billion current USD +14.2%
1979 12.83 billion current USD +27.7%
1980 15.27 billion current USD +19.0%
1981 16.54 billion current USD +8.3%
1982 13.49 billion current USD -18.4%
1983 12.37 billion current USD -8.4%
1984 11.49 billion current USD -7.1%
1985 10.77 billion current USD -6.3%
1986 10.97 billion current USD +1.9%
1987 13.01 billion current USD +18.6%
1988 14.63 billion current USD +12.5%
1989 16.67 billion current USD +13.9%
1990 18.39 billion current USD +10.3%
1991 16.00 billion current USD -13.0%
1992 15.67 billion current USD -2.1%
1993 19.23 billion current USD +22.8%
1994 24.11 billion current USD +25.4%
1995 28.63 billion current USD +18.7%
1996 29.58 billion current USD +3.3%
1997 29.32 billion current USD -0.9%
1998 30.19 billion current USD +3.0%
1999 25.43 billion current USD -15.8%
2000 27.24 billion current USD +7.1%
2001 27.33 billion current USD +0.3%
2002 22.86 billion current USD -16.4%
2003 22.19 billion current USD -2.9%
2004 25.17 billion current USD +13.4%
2005 32.71 billion current USD +30.0%
2006 37.95 billion current USD +16.0%
2007 46.58 billion current USD +22.8%
2008 56.44 billion current USD +21.2%
2009 56.23 billion current USD -0.4%
2010 68.69 billion current USD +22.2%
2011 73.82 billion current USD +7.5%
2012 75.35 billion current USD +2.1%
2013 78.46 billion current USD +4.1%
2014 72.71 billion current USD -7.3%
2015 59.36 billion current USD -18.4%
2016 56.66 billion current USD -4.5%
2017 66.60 billion current USD +17.5%
2018 63.96 billion current USD -4.0%
2019 60.55 billion current USD -5.3%
2020 54.48 billion current USD -10.0%
2021 55.91 billion current USD +2.6%
2022 59.52 billion current USD +6.5%
2023 66.33 billion current USD +11.4%
2024 73.38 billion current USD +10.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.68 billion current USD 952.12 million current USD 2.29 billion current USD 10
1970s 6.83 billion current USD 2.86 billion current USD 12.83 billion current USD 10
1980s 13.52 billion current USD 10.77 billion current USD 16.67 billion current USD 10
1990s 23.65 billion current USD 15.67 billion current USD 30.19 billion current USD 10
2000s 35.47 billion current USD 22.19 billion current USD 56.44 billion current USD 10
2010s 67.62 billion current USD 56.66 billion current USD 78.46 billion current USD 10
2020s 61.92 billion current USD 54.48 billion current USD 73.38 billion current USD 5

Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean

  1. 21 Algeria 21.81 billion current USD compare
  2. 22 Brazil 20.95 billion current USD compare
  3. 23 Mexico 16.73 billion current USD compare
  4. 24 Qatar 15.41 billion current USD compare
  5. 25 Colombia 15.10 billion current USD compare
  6. 26 Singapore 15.06 billion current USD compare
  7. 27 Sweden 12.04 billion current USD compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean

All data for Latin America & Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean?
Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean was 73.38 billion current USD in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 78.46 billion current USD in 2013.
What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 952.12 million current USD in 1961.
How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for military expenditure?
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 24th out of 42 groups with data for 2024.
Is military expenditure rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (current USD). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-current-usd/latin-america-and-caribbean/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-current-usd/latin-america-and-caribbean/">Military expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (current USD)
Unit
current USD
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
211 places, 10,601 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)